Father James Burns has been recognized as an outstanding Minnesota leader. He relies on his psychology doctorate, his priestly formation and his Lasallian values in his role as president of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, which includes a Minneapolis campus with bachelor’s completion and graduate programs in business, health and human services, and education. “I’m always interested in attending talks and being part of the intellectual life,” said Father Burns, 55, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. During the bustling graduation season, he reflected on the value of a Catholic education. Like several Twin Cities Catholic high schools, St. Mary’s was established by Christian Brothers, who were founded by St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, whose mission is described as “Lasallian.”
Q) Tell me about your childhood in St. Paul.
A) I grew up on the West End of St. Paul, the Fort Road-West Seventh Street area, in the parish of St. Francis de Sales. Our social life as a family circled around the parish. Everybody knew everybody. We played basketball in the alleyways. Dodgeball, Kick the Can, boot hockey.
Q) You went on to become a priest and a licensed psychologist. How did your psychology background serve you as a priest?
A) I was in Boston for my doctorate when the clergy abuse crisis happened, and we did some initial landmark work at Boston University looking at the effects of the abuse crisis in the life of the parish. We coined a term called “spiritual post-traumatic stress.” It’s the effect of the abuse crisis coupled with the wholesale closing of parishes. The experience people were having was a lot like what we would see in post-trauma.
We found that some people were still growing spiritually in dynamic ways. They found a way to grow through that. Others didn’t.
Q) What was the difference?
A) In post-trauma, world concepts and views are shattered. Those who were able to reconstitute those concepts and have a broader understanding of the human condition could dive in more intentionally. They used it as an opportunity to really dig in, making sense of suffering — as opposed to those who had a more cursory approach to faith.
Q) Would a psychology degree serve every priest?
A) I wish every priest had more tools to understand the challenges that the faithful are dealing with, so they can take a step back and try to have a more immediate evaluation of the situation rather than reacting. It’s that pause.
Sometimes people can come at a priest and it can be very jarring, so it helps to be able to say: “I don’t have to have all the answers right here. I can just listen — and listen for the messages underneath what I’m hearing.” We sometimes say: The issue is not the issue.
Q) As president of a Catholic university, you have a unique vantage point on the value of a Catholic education. Can you speak to this?
A) There’s a direct connection to how a person leads ethically and what Catholic education is supposed to be about. Fundamentally, a Catholic education is inspired by Christ, who is the best role model. If Christ is the center of Catholic education, then naturally will emerge the opportunity to challenge the dominant paradigms we see and ask: What does it mean to be a good person? What is ethical? We want to help our students experience God’s grace, his presence, even if they aren’t of any faith. We view them with a God-like perspective. We try to convey: “You are of inestimable value because you are you.”
Q) You’ve said that a Catholic university should never be afraid to ask tough questions. Can you expand on that?
A) If we’re grounded in goodness and we’re seeking the truth, and we know, by our tradition, that truth is knowable — it’s not some abstract thing that God is hiding from us — there isn’t any respectful question that should be off limits. And we should bring in people who have different opinions because, if what we are looking for is the truth, it will emerge from that. Having those two people with varying perspectives engage in dialogue can offer incredible insight.
Q) What’s the hardest thing about being president of a college?
A) One of the hardest things right now is really staying true to the mission of a Catholic university in the midst of challenging enrollment times. Not to allow solely enrollment — or the financial condition — to drive the mission, but the mission to be clear. Sometimes you can’t do everything you may want to do.
Q) That brings us to the news that St. Mary’s is cutting 11 majors over the next few years, which will mean laying off 13 faculty members. Can you speak to that decision?
A) To ensure financial stability and a bright future, we needed to make difficult decisions, specific to the size of our undergrad college in Winona. We reviewed majors that have low enrollment, meaning not in demand by students. We will phase those out over time, which will allow us to invest and focus on majors that are of greatest interest for students and employers and that we can deliver especially well. Our Lasallian Catholic mission calls for a practical education rooted in character formation along with a deep grounding in liberal arts. Students will continue to be required to take liberal arts courses as part of their core requirements including theology, history and English, they just won’t be offered as majors. This well-rounded core coupled with in-demand majors and virtue formation prepares students for excellent careers and ethical lives of impact and service.
Q) Lasallian tradition identifies 12 virtues of a good leader, including gentleness, patience, silence and humility. What keeps you humble?
A) I’m regularly humbled by the thoughtfulness, the sincerity and the deep understanding of many of the folks here at St. Mary’s, a number of whom report to me directly. When I’m consulting with them, I’m realizing, “I may have a direction or a way that I think would be helpful — and as a leader you have to have a vision — but it’s always better when you can bring in those other voices.” Humility allows you to shift your original thinking and incorporate things that are often better or make the experience or idea more rich. I rely a lot on the staff who work with me, day in and day out. We challenge each other — that’s what humility allows. You can be respectfully challenged without diminishing the other person. That’s a key to a successful, humble leader.
Q) Generosity is another virtue on the list.
A) Humility and generosity are tightly linked because a person who’s truly humble recognizes how much has been given from God and wants to share that back. When we truly realize the immensity, we’re in awe of what God has done for us and then reflect on what we have to give. Throughout the day in my own prayer, I try to call to mind things I’m grateful for. You have to be deliberate about it at first, but gratitude can punctuate your day. It’s a great antidote to becoming negative or overly critical.
Q) A new batch of graduates is now heading out into the world. How do you think this class is different having been shaped by COVID?
A) No one would’ve wished for or wanted COVID, but it happened. God works miracles even through the most desperate circumstances. We believe in providence. Bad things happen so that greater good comes of it or greater evil may be avoided. A greater good that came of it is I see the students being more resilient, more adaptive. Even if they missed major milestones, they learned how to turn that into gratitude for what they have rather than becoming resentful for what they don’t have. It’s allowed them to communicate in a whole new way about challenges and be not just sympathetic but be problem solvers in a holistic way.
Recent Comments